A young mother surrenders her daughters. A loving family quickly adopts one while the other spends her turbulent youth in foster care. What happens when the sisters reunite 35 years later to find the woman who abandoned them? Amy Hatvany fearlessly explores complex family issues in her gripping, provocative new novel.

5 out of 5 stars

Great Book😄😄

By
Sandie
on
03-28-16

I Liked My Life

A Novel

By:
Abby Fabiaschi

Narrated by:
Susan Bennett,
Dan Bittner,
Therese Plummer

Length: 9 hrs and 31 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
3,591

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
3,369

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
3,364

Maddy is a devoted stay-at-home wife and mother, host of excellent parties, giver of thoughtful gifts, and bestower of a searingly perceptive piece of advice or two. She is the cornerstone of her family, a true matriarch...until she commits suicide, leaving her husband, Brady, and teenage daughter, Eve, heartbroken and reeling, wondering what happened. How could the exuberant, exacting woman they loved disappear so abruptly, seemingly without reason, from their lives?

4 out of 5 stars

Good all around.

By
Adam C.
on
03-16-17

The Secret Child

By:
Kerry Fisher

Narrated by:
Emma Spurgin Hussey

Length: 10 hrs and 4 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
1,187

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
1,106

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
1,101

Susie did something that she knows she will always regret: giving her baby son up for adoption, to keep her infidelity secret from her family. Louise, Susie's daughter, feels the effects of that decision echoing down through the years - her mother has always been difficult, too strict with her but not strict enough with her sister, Grace, who is wild and out of control. And Danny, Susie's husband, adores her but has always sensed something wrong at the heart of their marriage.

5 out of 5 stars

Beautiful story

By
Amazon Customer
on
05-23-18

The One That Got Away

A Novel

By:
Leigh Himes

Narrated by:
Kristin Kalbli

Length: 12 hrs and 31 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
541

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
499

Story

4 out of 5 stars
499

Abbey Lahey is a married, harried working mother of two, struggling to make ends meet in a blue-collar suburb of Philadelphia. When a tumble down a Nordstrom escalator lands her in an alternate reality, Abbey finds herself happily married to the one who got away - a dashing Philly blueblood she met briefly years earlier - and living a Cinderella life of privilege and luxury.

4 out of 5 stars

Predictable but not awful.

By
Taffy
on
12-05-16

Before I Go

By:
Colleen Oakley

Narrated by:
Kirby Heyborne,
Rebecca Lowman

Length: 10 hrs and 28 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
374

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
332

Story

4 out of 5 stars
326

On the eve of what was supposed to be a triumphant "Cancerversary" with her husband Jack to celebrate three years of being cancer-free, Daisy suffers a devastating blow: Her doctor tells her that the cancer is back, but this time it's an aggressive stage four diagnosis. She may have as few as four months left to live. Death is a frightening prospect - but not because she's afraid for herself.

2 out of 5 stars

Lots of Problems

By
Lulu
on
02-03-15

Love & Gelato

By:
Jenna Evans Welch

Narrated by:
Rebekkah Ross

Length: 8 hrs and 17 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
505

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
466

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
464

Lina is spending the summer in Tuscany, but she isn't in the mood for Italy's famous sunshine and fairy-tale landscape. She's only there because it was her mother's dying wish that she get to know her father. But what kind of father isn't around for 16 years? All Lina wants to do is get back home. But then Lina is given a journal that her mom had kept when she lived in Italy. Suddenly Lina's uncovering a magical world of secret romances, art, and hidden bakeries. A world that inspires Lina to follow in her mother's footsteps.

5 out of 5 stars

Amazing but predictable

By
G. Bozeman
on
08-07-17

Somewhere out There

A Novel

By:
Amy Hatvany

Narrated by:
Cassandra Campbell,
Rebekkah Ross,
Candace Thaxton

Length: 11 hrs and 13 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
242

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
220

Story

4 out of 5 stars
220

A young mother surrenders her daughters. A loving family quickly adopts one while the other spends her turbulent youth in foster care. What happens when the sisters reunite 35 years later to find the woman who abandoned them? Amy Hatvany fearlessly explores complex family issues in her gripping, provocative new novel.

5 out of 5 stars

Great Book😄😄

By
Sandie
on
03-28-16

I Liked My Life

A Novel

By:
Abby Fabiaschi

Narrated by:
Susan Bennett,
Dan Bittner,
Therese Plummer

Length: 9 hrs and 31 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
3,591

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
3,369

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
3,364

Maddy is a devoted stay-at-home wife and mother, host of excellent parties, giver of thoughtful gifts, and bestower of a searingly perceptive piece of advice or two. She is the cornerstone of her family, a true matriarch...until she commits suicide, leaving her husband, Brady, and teenage daughter, Eve, heartbroken and reeling, wondering what happened. How could the exuberant, exacting woman they loved disappear so abruptly, seemingly without reason, from their lives?

4 out of 5 stars

Good all around.

By
Adam C.
on
03-16-17

The Secret Child

By:
Kerry Fisher

Narrated by:
Emma Spurgin Hussey

Length: 10 hrs and 4 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
1,187

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
1,106

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
1,101

Susie did something that she knows she will always regret: giving her baby son up for adoption, to keep her infidelity secret from her family. Louise, Susie's daughter, feels the effects of that decision echoing down through the years - her mother has always been difficult, too strict with her but not strict enough with her sister, Grace, who is wild and out of control. And Danny, Susie's husband, adores her but has always sensed something wrong at the heart of their marriage.

5 out of 5 stars

Beautiful story

By
Amazon Customer
on
05-23-18

The One That Got Away

A Novel

By:
Leigh Himes

Narrated by:
Kristin Kalbli

Length: 12 hrs and 31 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
541

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
499

Story

4 out of 5 stars
499

Abbey Lahey is a married, harried working mother of two, struggling to make ends meet in a blue-collar suburb of Philadelphia. When a tumble down a Nordstrom escalator lands her in an alternate reality, Abbey finds herself happily married to the one who got away - a dashing Philly blueblood she met briefly years earlier - and living a Cinderella life of privilege and luxury.

4 out of 5 stars

Predictable but not awful.

By
Taffy
on
12-05-16

Before I Go

By:
Colleen Oakley

Narrated by:
Kirby Heyborne,
Rebecca Lowman

Length: 10 hrs and 28 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
374

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
332

Story

4 out of 5 stars
326

On the eve of what was supposed to be a triumphant "Cancerversary" with her husband Jack to celebrate three years of being cancer-free, Daisy suffers a devastating blow: Her doctor tells her that the cancer is back, but this time it's an aggressive stage four diagnosis. She may have as few as four months left to live. Death is a frightening prospect - but not because she's afraid for herself.

2 out of 5 stars

Lots of Problems

By
Lulu
on
02-03-15

Love & Gelato

By:
Jenna Evans Welch

Narrated by:
Rebekkah Ross

Length: 8 hrs and 17 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
505

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
466

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
464

Lina is spending the summer in Tuscany, but she isn't in the mood for Italy's famous sunshine and fairy-tale landscape. She's only there because it was her mother's dying wish that she get to know her father. But what kind of father isn't around for 16 years? All Lina wants to do is get back home. But then Lina is given a journal that her mom had kept when she lived in Italy. Suddenly Lina's uncovering a magical world of secret romances, art, and hidden bakeries. A world that inspires Lina to follow in her mother's footsteps.

5 out of 5 stars

Amazing but predictable

By
G. Bozeman
on
08-07-17

The Keeper of Lost Things

A Novel

By:
Ruth Hogan

Narrated by:
Jane Collingwood,
Sandra Duncan

Length: 8 hrs and 34 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
996

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
898

Story

4 out of 5 stars
900

Anthony Peardew is the keeper of lost things. Forty years ago he carelessly lost a keepsake from his beloved fiancée, Therese. That very same day, she died unexpectedly. Brokenhearted, Anthony sought consolation in rescuing lost objects - the things others have dropped, misplaced, or accidently left behind - and writing stories about them. Now, in the twilight of his life, Anthony worries that he has not fully discharged his duty to reconcile all the lost things with their owners.

4 out of 5 stars

Charming story with great narration

By
June J
on
09-29-17

Summer People

A Novel

By:
Elin Hilderbrand

Narrated by:
Beth MacDonald

Length: 9 hrs and 43 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
404

Performance

4 out of 5 stars
349

Story

4 out of 5 stars
354

Every summer the Newton family retreats to their beloved home on Nantucket for three months of sunshine, cookouts, and bonfires on the beach. But this summer will not be like any other. When Arch Newton, a prominent New York attorney, dies in a plane crash on his way home from a business trip, his beautiful widow, Beth, can barely keep things together. Above all, though, she decides that she must continue the family tradition of going to Nantucket, and at the same time fulfill a promise that Arch made before he died.

5 out of 5 stars

Excellent and relaxing read!

By
Leah
on
06-04-14

The Heart Mender

A Story of Second Chances

By:
Andy Andrews

Narrated by:
Andy Andrews

Length: 6 hrs and 24 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
720

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
655

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
657

In 1942, German subs are dispatched to the Gulf of Mexico to sink U.S. vessels carrying goods and fuel. While taking a late-night walk, Helen Mason - widowed by war - discovers the near-lifeless body of a German sailor. Enraged at the site of Josef Landermann's uniform, Helen is prepared to leave him to die when an unusual phrase, faintly uttered, changes her mind. In
The Heart Mender, a small town must prepare itself for the worst the world has to offer, and Josef and Helen must reconcile their pasts to create a future.

5 out of 5 stars

What a great story!

By
Pat and Susan
on
07-01-15

Now That You Mention It

By:
Kristan Higgins

Narrated by:
Xe Sands

Length: 11 hrs and 6 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
1,952

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
1,797

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
1,789

It's been over a decade since Nora left her hometown of Scupper Island, Maine, and very seldom looked back. She's carved out a successful life in Boston, where no one knows her as the awkward girl with the delinquent sister and the dad who left, but a not-as-dramatic-as-it-sounds brush with death has her taking stock of her life. Inspired to reconnect with her prickly mother and snarky teenage niece, Nora returns home for the summer, where she's forced to face the people she's spent the last ten years trying to avoid.

5 out of 5 stars

10 million stars!

By
jodiod
on
12-28-17

The Lost Girls

A Novel

By:
Heather Young

Narrated by:
Alice Rosengard,
Laurel Schroeder

Length: 12 hrs and 35 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
537

Performance

4 out of 5 stars
493

Story

4 out of 5 stars
491

In 1935, six-year-old Emily Evans vanishes from her family's vacation home on a remote Minnesota lake. Her disappearance destroys the family - her father commits suicide, and her mother and two older sisters spend the rest of their lives at the lake house, keeping a decades-long vigil for the lost child. Sixty years later, Lucy, the quiet and watchful middle sister, lives in the lake house alone. Before her death, she writes the story of that devastating summer in a notebook that she leaves, along with the house, to the only person who might care: her grandniece, Justine.

4 out of 5 stars

Engaging story spanning three generations.

By
LilMissMolly
on
09-23-16

Half a Heart

By:
Karen McQuestion

Narrated by:
Emily Durante

Length: 7 hrs and 41 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
1,235

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
1,106

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
1,103

At nine years of age, Logan Weber knows the routine. Keep quiet, make the food last, and don’t ever cause trouble. He’ll do what it takes to evade the rages of his troubled, violent father. Even though he’s only a child, Logan already knows too much - has seen too much. So when the opportunity presents itself, Logan runs. He has no idea where his journey will lead, or that the grandmother he’s been told is dead is desperately searching for him. Alone with no home of his own, Logan looks for a safe place to hide.

5 out of 5 stars

A Grandmother's Quest

By
Elaine M. Panzeter
on
05-28-18

Map of the Heart

A Novel

By:
Susan Wiggs

Narrated by:
Christina Traister

Length: 11 hrs and 46 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
218

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
202

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
204

Widowed by an unspeakable tragedy, Camille Palmer has made her peace with the past and settled into the quiet safety of life with her teenage daughter, Julie, in a sleepy coastal town. Then the arrival of a mysterious package breaks open the door to her family's secret past. In uncovering a hidden history, Camille has no idea that she's embarking on an adventure that will utterly transform her.

4 out of 5 stars

Not vintage Wiggs, but better than some of her more recent books

By
Elizabeth B. Brandt
on
09-17-17

The Diplomat's Daughter

A Novel

By:
Karin Tanabe

Narrated by:
Joy Osmanski,
Corey Brill,
Jacques Roy

Length: 13 hrs and 2 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
326

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
302

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
300

During the turbulent months following the 1941 bombing of Pearl Harbor, 21-year-old Emi Kato, the daughter of a Japanese diplomat, is locked behind barbed wire in a Texas internment camp. She feels hopeless until she meets handsome young Christian Lange, whose German-born parents were wrongfully arrested for un-American activities. Together they live as prisoners with thousands of other German and Japanese families but discover that love can bloom in even the bleakest circumstances.

5 out of 5 stars

Wartime Love Story

By
Mona-Alisa
on
01-12-18

House Rules

A Novel

By:
Jodi Picoult

Narrated by:
Mark Turetsky,
Rich Orlow,
Nicole Poole,
and others

Length: 19 hrs and 55 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
883

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
816

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
816

Jacob Hunt is a teen with Asperger's syndrome. He's hopeless at reading social cues or expressing himself well to others, though he is brilliant in many ways. But he has a special focus on one subject - forensic analysis. A police scanner in his room clues him in to crime scenes, and he's always showing up and telling the cops what to do. And he's usually right. But when Jacob's small hometown is rocked by a terrible murder, law enforcement comes to him. Jacob's behaviors are hallmark Asperger's, but they look a lot like guilt to the local police.

5 out of 5 stars

Excellent!

By
Haveenoughstuff
on
12-12-17

The Sometimes Sisters

By:
Carolyn Brown

Narrated by:
Brittany Pressley

Length: 8 hrs and 42 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
2,369

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
2,102

Story

4 out of 5 stars
2,103

When they were growing up, Dana, Harper, and Tawny thought of themselves as “sometimes sisters.” They connected only during the summer month they’d all spend at their grandmother’s rustic lakeside resort in north Texas. But secrets started building, and ten years have passed since they’ve all been together—in fact, they’ve rarely spoken, and it broke their grandmother’s heart.

5 out of 5 stars

Your Best

By
Annelda Crawford
on
03-07-18

The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell

A Novel

By:
Robert Dugoni

Narrated by:
Robert Dugoni

Length: 11 hrs and 41 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
5,299

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
4,856

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
4,843

Sam Hill always saw the world through different eyes. Born with red pupils, he was called “Devil Boy” or Sam “Hell” by his classmates; “God’s will” is what his mother called his ocular albinism. Her words were of little comfort, but Sam persevered. Sam believed it was God who sent Ernie Cantwell, the only African American kid in his class, to be the friend he so desperately needed. And that it was God’s idea for Mickie Kennedy to storm into Our Lady of Mercy like a tornado, uprooting every rule Sam had been taught about boys and girls. Forty years later, Sam, a small-town eye doctor, is no longer certain anything was by design.

5 out of 5 stars

Wow..allow yourself to be submerged in this book

By
Donna Smith McG
on
05-18-18

The Hating Game

A Novel

By:
Sally Thorne

Narrated by:
Katie Schorr

Length: 11 hrs and 29 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
3,257

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
3,031

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
3,029

Lucy Hutton has always been certain that the nice girl can get the corner office. She's charming and accommodating and prides herself on being loved by everyone at Bexley & Gamin. Everyone except for coldly efficient, impeccably attired, physically intimidating Joshua Templeman. And the feeling is mutual.

4 out of 5 stars

Slow Burn!

By
Cyndi
on
04-07-17

Publisher's Summary

From the author of Before I Go comes an evocative, poignant, and heartrending exploration of the power and possibilities of the human heart, perfect for fans of the emotional novels of Jojo Moyes and Jodi Picoult.

Love has no boundaries....

Jubilee Jenkins has a rare condition: She's allergic to human touch. After a nearly fatal accident, she became reclusive, living in the confines of her home for nine years. But after her mother dies, Jubilee is forced to face the world - and the people in it - that she's been hiding from.

Jubilee finds safe haven at her local library, where she gets a job. It's there she meets Eric Keegan, a divorced man who recently moved to town with his brilliant, troubled adopted son. Eric is struggling to figure out how to be the dad - and man - he wants so desperately to be. Jubilee is unlike anyone he has ever met, yet he can't understand why she keeps him at arm's length. So Eric sets out to convince Jubilee to open herself and her heart to everything life can offer, setting into motion the most unlikely love story of the year.

A touching road to family healing and love

This book had a really interesting premise but it took me two-thirds of the book before I truly got invested in the characters. It was written well but there just wasn’t a connection with the main characters for most of the book. The narration was okay but the Aja voice was the best.

As a three year old toddler, Jubilee Jenkins developed a rare skin allergy that made touching other humans deadly. Her mother went to specialist after specialist before abandoning her to marry some rich guy in another city. After a kiss in high school almost killed her, Jubilee grudgingly acknowledged that her life was meant to be different from others and without skin to skin contact.

When her mother died and her step father withdrew financial support, Jubilee was forced to find a job to pay for her own bills. She got hired at the library which placed her around people. Once Jubilee saved a little boy Aja from drowning, Jubilee was introduced to Eric Keegan, Aja’s father who slowly opened Jubilee’s heart to a future of happier possibilities.

I like that Eric Keegan wasn’t this hero that made everything better. He had his own messed up situation and was trying to figure out his own life. Eric’s drama made everyone including Jubilee made her face some things from her past as well as make some decisions about her future.

I like how the author used the library and reading as vehicle of communication to allow the characters to understand each other. I felt the most for the young boy Aja. He was clearly in pain and I just wanted to hold him so tight. It was after Aja and his X-men comments that I truly plugged into this story.

Colleen Oakley didn’t write a clean, smooth, cheesy story. It was a slow burner where the individual journey overshadowed the romance, which was okay with me. The writing in the first half dragged but the second half was more touching (pun intended). Overall, it was a good read.

Super unique

I loved the idea of a woman who was allergic to the touch of others. Her character was so endearing and true. I loved her. Then there's the single dad who is estranged from his teenager and also trying to navigate through raising an adopted son that is genius but also is acting out from losing his parents.

The whole premise is just storyline brilliance.

I loved the budding romance that is such a slow burn but when it got to the ending... I was lost. The entire story seemed thought out and considered until the end. It seemed rushed and not story worthy. Then it just ended and I was left feeling underwhelmed and not fulfilled. I just can't understand it.

The narrators were great. They all were perfect for their intended characters. Especially Candace. Her tone and portrayal was spot on.

Colleen Oakley Scores Again!

I loved Colleen Oakley ' s first novel, Before I Go, and her second novel is another great one. In Close Enough to Touch, she develops her characters so you feel like you know them. While they are dealing with what seems to be an impossible situation, they are also dealing with problems we all face -- issues with relationships, communication, children, grief, and love. I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Thanks, Ms. Oakley. You rock!